Lord, please grant me greater spiritual discernment, especially the ability to notice and respond to you each day.

Option 1:
Reading: “The Examen”
Prayer Practice: Go through each step of the Examen, reflecting and praying over the past 24 hours. Don’t worry if it feels awkward at first. You will have plenty of time to practice this way of praying in the coming months.

Option 2:
Pray with the Examen by writing out or drawing your prayer in a journal. If this way of doing the Examen helps you to pray feel free to continue using it. As you do the Examen, incorporate the insights from today’s reading.
Close with the “Our Father” prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)[1]

Option 3:
Reading: “Emotions and the Spiritual Life”
Contemplate the reading and incorporate insights into today’s practice of the Examen. Notice the concepts of consolation and desolation and step 3 of the Examen.

Option 4:
Scripture: Galatians 5:19-23; Ephesian 4:17-24; Colossians 3:1-17
Reflection: What do these verses highlight about movements toward God and away from God?
Prayer Practice: Pray with the Examen with attention to the directions you have been pulled in the last day or so. Practice noticing these movements on a daily basis.

Option 5:
Activity: Tell someone today about the Examen. Explain the purpose and steps as best as you can. Consider praying the Examen together and walking this person through it. The process of talking about the Examen and practicing it with someone else will help you to better understand it.

Option 6:
Prayer Practice:  Pray the Examen with audio guidance from Karen. Listen as she leads you through the prayer. If having audio guidance helps you to pray, feel free to continue using this approach. Also consider making your own recording.

Reviewing the Week:
Look back on the past week. What stands out to you the most as you have prayed with the Examen? Talk with God about what you experienced in prayer this week. Continue to practice the Examen throughout your journey through the Exercises.

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[1] The Our Father is the traditional ending of the Examen that Ignatius used. However, people commonly choose to end the Examen after step 5 or use other closing prayers.

Additional Resource:
Mark E. Thibodeaux, Reimagining the Ignatian Examen (offers 34 different ways to do the Examen)